Hair retaining accessories are well known and are in wide use throughout the world. One such comb is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 756,545 to O. Vallendar which teaches an arrangement of the teeth of the comb in such a manner that a gripping action is produced on the bunches of hair contained between the sides of the adjacent teeth when the comb is in use. To attain the desired results, the back or body portion is curved longitudinally and is formed of an elastic or resilient material. The teeth are connected to the back and extend therefrom in such a manner that they are normally at an angle to one another, their points or outer ends being closer together than their inner ends or part which is connected with the back. Such an arrangement results in a separation of the teeth or a movement toward parallelism when the back of the comb is flexed toward a straight line. In the application of the comb to the hair the back is straightened, and the teeth then being substantially parallel freely enter the hair, and when the back is released it by its resilience again assume its normal curved condition, and so cause the points of the teeth to approach one another and close on and grip the hair contained between them.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,248 to Sidelman discloses a light weight hair retaining fine tooth metal comb. The comb generally comprises a relatively thin head having a concave arcuate cross-section. A plurality of teeth are integral with the head and depend therefrom. The teeth are substantially parallel to one another and are tapered from the upper end, at the junction with the head of the comb, to a relatively narrow blunt point, at the free end of each tooth. The teeth are provided with a plurality of corrugations of alternately concave and convex arcuate contours in the upper portion thereof. The lower portion of the teeth are straight and the tips are coated in a plastic material. The corrugations are located in an arcuate plane following the arcuate contour of the head of the comb and also the contour of the head of the wearer, thus concealing the teeth of the comb within the hair, while it is being worn, only the relatively shallow head of the comb being exposed. The straight lower portion of the teeth facilitates insertion and the corrugations facilitate gripping of the comb by the hair of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,007 to D. J. Parmer discloses a flexible comb which can be bent into various shapes. The comb comprises a copper wire, and having a plurality of teeth depending therefrom which together form the framework of the comb. Over this framework is provided a flexible coating of a flexible plastic material such as polyethylene or rubber. The comb thus formed may be bent longitudinally to form a variety of shapes. After being bent laterally or longitudinally into the desired shape, the inherent characteristics of the copper framework maintain the shape of the comb. It can then be inserted into the hair and worn as an ornament.
The foregoing hair retaining devices while effective at maintaining the hair in a desired position, are substantially embedded below the hairline and are intended to remain hidden from view and, therefore, fail to provide any decorative enhancement to the hair style.
Also of note is U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,414 to Fox et al. which discloses a bendable lightweight article for personal grooming. The article comprises an elongate lightweight and readily bendable rod that is adapted to be used for a variety of purposes such as a hair curling rod. The rod comprises a low density and continuous foam body of closed cell foam, a pliable metallic core extends throughout the length of the body and serves to resiliently maintain the body in any desired bent configuration. Adhesive surrounds the metallic core throughout the length thereof and bonds the metallic core to the body so that the body and metallic core are unitized and bend together. The adhesive also serves as a corrosion resistant protective coating on the metallic core. While the just described hair curling is somewhat effective in maintaining the hair in the desired position during styling, it is unsuitable for wear as an article of fashion due to its rather utilitarian and plain appearance. In addition, the article lacks any form of means for actively gripping the hair which renders it largely unsuitable for use during normal everyday activities.
In view of the foregoing, it would therefore be of commercial value to provide a hair retaining apparatus that is also a fashion item and that further assists in maintaining the wearer's hairstyle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved hair comb.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair comb that solves the aforementioned problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hair comb that is decorative and also functional.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair comb having improved hair retaining capabilities.